Sooty air causing more early deaths

FRESNO - An estimated 2,000 to 2,900 people in the San Joaquin Valley die prematurely each year due to a diminutive but dangerous kind of air pollution, according to a study released last week.

Alex Breitler

FRESNO - An estimated 2,000 to 2,900 people in the San Joaquin Valley die prematurely each year due to a diminutive but dangerous kind of air pollution, according to a study released last week.

Tiny specks of dust and soot, known as PM2.5, account for anywhere from 14,000 to 24,000 early deaths statewide, the California Air Resources Board reports.

That's 6 to 10 percent of all the deaths in the state, and about double or triple the previous estimates.

To be clear, air pollution is improving, officials said. Levels of PM2.5 have been in decline this decade, saving thousands of lives.

But new research suggests deaths occur at much lower levels of pollution.

"It's so sad," said Betsy Reifsnider, who heads an environmental justice program for the Catholic Diocese of Stockton. "What concerns us most about these terrible statistics is the fact that once again it is the poor community, the vulnerable people who are already ill or have respiratory problems, the little kids or older people" who bear the burden.

Last week, air regulators approved a plan that would bring the Valley into compliance with federal PM2.5 standards, but not until 2014. Critics said news of the higher death toll is evidence that tough regulations are needed to get the job done sooner.

"This is about humans, this is about lives, this is about families," said Liza Bolanos of the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition. "We're concerned about the children, the grandparents, the families that will be impacted" by these deaths.

PM2.5 comes from many sources, including cars and trucks, wood-burning fireplaces, industrial facilities, roads and farmers' fields. The risk, therefore, is greatest near roads, power plants or in neighborhoods where a great deal of wood burning takes place.

The particles are especially dangerous because they are so small. The specks, about 3 percent as wide as a human hair, are inhaled deep into the lungs and embedded in tissue or absorbed in the bloodstream.

That can lead to aggravated asthma, chronic bronchitis and heart attacks. Those with heart or lung disease may face premature death.

Stockton and San Joaquin County already is in compliance with federal PM2.5 standards, while the southern San Joaquin Valley is not. But last week's study shows that deaths occur even in areas well within health standards.

The study does contain a large margin of error, meaning the statewide deaths could number anywhere from 4,300 to 41,000. The most likely range is 14,000 to 24,000, the state said.

Two other findings:

» The shipping of goods throughout the state is accountable for about 3,700 premature deaths per year.

» Emissions from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach account for about 120 deaths per year.

The report does not number hospital admissions and lost workdays as a result of PM2.5, nor does it quantify some other problems, such as asthma.

The new data on deaths will be used to help craft new pollution reduction strategies, said Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the state air board.

"(This) is not something that indicates there's some new threat happening in California versus anywhere else," she said. "We think we have a better way now of quantifying it and more accurately explaining what's going on."